


Melting like the ice in this whisky

by chenziee



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bartender Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Depression, Eren is Tired(TM), Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, but I'm Tired(TM), idk what this is, it turns really mushy as soon as Levi enteres the scene, it's a mess, mentions of Ymir/Historia, the mood jumps a lot, unproofed mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-14 21:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18060758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenziee/pseuds/chenziee
Summary: Eren was falling apart. Attending a party was the last thing he needed. That didn't mean anybody had to know. So why,whydid this rude asshole see through him the second Eren spoke?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't read this over yet and I'm sorry about that. I just needed to close this _now_ or I wouldn't be able to function. ~~I might make corrections during the day but for now, have this complete mess of whatever.~~

Breaking apart. Slowly, piece by piece, day by day, he was breaking apart.

It was like he way eroding away, like a river of stress and pain was working away at him at the very base of his mind, shaping him to its own image, carrying bits of him off somewhere never to be seen again. He was slowly losing his footing as the ground continued to crumble with no way to stop it.

Every damn day was just a little bit harder to survive than the last one, every problem was a little bit harder to solve. Being the mental support for his friends he's always tried to be was getting more and more exhausting, wearing him down even more. He didn't want to listen to their problems. He didn't want to listen to Sasha crying about her godawful job, didn't want to listen to Mikasa's issues around her third fucking degree, didn't want to listen to Jean complain about not knowing what to get Mikasa for their anniversary

He was tired. So damn tired from always listening and giving himself out for them. He felt like he had nothing left for himself.

He felt selfish.

So fucking selfish and terrible. He didn't deserve any of them.

But he was just so tired.

His phone rang and he ignored it. It wasn't the first time that day. People just kept calling and calling and he couldn't. Couldn't deal with their problems, he couldn't deal with their happiness, couldn't deal with _them._ It was too much.

People were too much and life was too much and he just wanted to disappear and not have to face anything anymore.

“Eren?”

Mikasa. How had he not heard the key turning and her coming in? No matter. He didn't have the energy to call back.

Still, he didn't want her to see him like this. To _worry._ So he sat up in his bed, throwing the blanket he was buried under to the side, and quickly booted up his laptop to look like was doing _something_ other than lying there motionlessly and crying.

He thanked God his eyes were always red and tired, with dark circles under them. Nobody could ever tell when he had been crying lately. Not even Mikasa.

The knock on the door came only second after he settled. “Eren, you in there?” Mikasa called, causing him take in a deep, shaky breath to try and calm down.

It didn't help.

He didn't want her to come in. He didn't want to see her face and he didn't want to talk to her. Or anyone else for that matter.

He still called back to her, however. How could he not? She was going to come in anyway and if he didn't say anything, he'd just invite in more questions. And he hated questions. Especially regarding him or his actions.

“Yeah?”

Mikasa didn't lose any time opening the door then, invading Eren's space and making him bite down on his bottom lip to keep him from snapping at her.

He watched as Mikasa quickly scanned the room until her eyes fell on him. She frowned a little when she saw him, a tiny little crease in between her brows that was barely noticeable but spoke volumes. She was confused, uncertain, and about to start asking questions Eren didn't want to hear.

Definitely didn't want to answer.

“Eren, why didn't you answer if you were in here?” she inquired, and Eren's jaw clenched by itself. He didn't know why the simple, obvious question annoyed him so much.

She continued, obviously not done. “And your phone. I called you like three times. Armin did, too.”

Eren cursed internally. He knew ignoring his phone would come bite him in the ass. But he was just so _tired._

He made a face of confusion, making a show of looking around for his phone. It was under his desk, where it landed after he knocked it off the bed, irritated because it _just wouldn't stop ringing_.

“Sorry,” he said after a moment, looking at Mikasa apologetically. “I was playing this game and might have gotten a little lost in it.” Lying through his teeth. It was ridiculously easy lately.

 _Have you eaten yet?_ Yes.

 _Do you want to go out?_ Sure! When are we leaving?

 _Can I rant to you a little?_ Always.

 _Are you okay?_ Of course, why wouldn’t I be?

All lies, every day, no matter who or what the question. He didn’t remember when was the last time he had honestly spoken about how he felt. Not completely at least. Sure, there were times when he would say he felt like shit, that he was tired, but he never spoke about the heaviness of the world, about how he was falling apart inside. They didn’t have to know. None of them did. They would just worry and it wouldn’t change anything.

“You were so lost that you didn’t hear your phone ring about ten times?” Mikasa asked after a moment but before Eren could reply, she sighed. “Seriously… You _do_ at least remember we’re supposed to meet up with everyone in maybe half an hour?”

Eren paused. It was that late already? He could swear it’s been just about 45 minutes since he came back from work and burrowed himself in. Maybe he was in a worse state than he had thought, if he shut down completely like that, blacking out for hours.

Either way, he definitely wasn’t in a place to go out. He really really wasn’t.

“Of course not, Mikasa. How could I forget?” Eren scoffed; seriously, _how_ could he forget? This goddamn party was everything anyone’s been talking about lately. “I’ll just get changed and I’m all ready to go.”

Mikasa eyed him distrustfully for a while and Eren felt like she was staring right into his soul, reading and analysing every little bit of him, seeing through all the lies he had ever told. He hated that look. He always felt like a little kid, or like one of those japanese texts she would need to translate – and always did translate, perfectly.

But Eren didn't want to be translated or analyzed. Or worse, told what or how to feel and do shit. He wanted to be understood and respected. Something Mikasa tried to do maybe a little too much, sometimes making Eren feel like he had no space to breathe. No space to let go and be himself and not have her fawn over him or baby him. He just felt like she never really, actually listened to him. Always trying to tell him how his ideas would work nicer like this and how his life would be better if he did that.

It was stifling. She was too perfect; too nice, too smart, too strong, she cared about him too much, and Eren couldn't deal with it sometimes.

She was so much stronger than him, physically and mentally, and she just couldn't understand him no matter how much the both of them tried.

Like now. He knew Mikasa was trying hard to figure out what he was thinking. But she would never understand feeling exhausted by just _being._ She couldn't understand. Eren had learnt this the hard, hard way.

“You didn't forget and that's why I had to make the trip here to get you?” Mikasa asked rhetorically, folding her hands across her chest. She looked so much like Eren's mother then and Eren felt so small and guilty.

So so guilty. He shouldn't be making her go out her way because of him but here they were.

When Eren didn't say anything in his defense, Mikasa shook her head. “Get dressed and we're leaving, okay? You know Ymir would make us buy her drinks if we're late.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eren said easily, shutting his laptop off again.

As soon as Mikasa shut the door to give him some privacy, Eren sighed. This wasn't going to be a fun night.

* * *

“Congratulations!”

A chorus of cheers echoed through the small bar as Ymir and Historia accepted gifts and good luck wishes with bright smiles on their faces. It was painfully obvious how happy they were to finally be officially engaged and every one of their friends was delighted to be there to celebrate.

While Eren… Eren felt empty.

He smiled and laughed and showered the fiancées in congratulations but… he felt nothing.

Nothing except guilt and disappointment and _disgust_ over not being as happy for them as he should be. But he couldn't help it. Being surrounded by so much cheer and brightness only served as a stark contrast to himself.

Where was his cheer? His happiness, his brightness, his _life?_

Eren didn't know. All he felt lately was tiredness and sleepiness. Heavy limbs and slow mind, everything dull and surrounded by a dense fog. He couldn't stand it.

He missed the times when he would just argue with Jean all day, get his ass handed to him by Mikasa, or listen to Armin lecture him for hours on some new, fascinating thing he had learned, and he would love every minute of it. He used to have so much energy.

Now… Now he was just exhausted.

And putting on this mask of _normalcy_ exhausted him even more. But he couldn't afford to drop this mask; not during Ymir and Historia's engagement party, not in front of Mikasa, not ever.

The only time he could allow himself to stop, take a break from this act, to fall apart just a little, was when he knew he was alone. Completely alone in his own space – in his own room when Mikasa wasn't at home. When the apartment was quiet and serene and he was sure nobody could see him break.

He was now as far from that absolutely safe set up as possible.

He couldn't take it. He really was breaking and if he didn't escape soon, everyone would see and he would ruin this perfectly happy party with his pointless wailing.

There was only one choice for him now.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then another, until the tears threatening to overflow disappeared, and then excused himself to get a drink at the bar. It wasn't ideal, he had a feeling he would end up absolutely trashed before the night ended if he went looking for relief in alcohol but he needed _something_ to help him keep it together. He couldn't very much leave for hours until he could pick up the pieces so alcohol it was.

Trying to make his way through all the people to reach the bar as soon as possible, Eren finally leaned onto the counter heavily, waving at the bartender to get his attention.

“What can I do for you?” the man asked as he stood in front of Eren, eying him with cold, grey eyes with bags worse than Eren's own.

Eren looked at the surprisingly short bartender for a moment, taking in the sight of how well the white button down and black vest suited him. He was really attractive in his own, weird way, Eren had to admit. Not like he really cared at that moment. “Whiskey on the rocks. Thanks.”

The bartender raised an eyebrow before he inquired, “Are you even old enough to drink, kid?”

Eren narrowed his eyes, getting annoyed but trying to keep calm. He had to dig his nails in his palm to keep the venom out of his voice. “I’m 25, want to see my ID?”

So he might not have managed to keep the sarcasm down but if anything, it seemed to amuse the dark haired, short bartender. He chuckled, giving Eren a half smirk. “It’s fine, if you got in here, you’ve got to be old enough. Just teasing.”

Eren rolled his eyes when the man turned his back to him to prepare his drink. _Just teasing_ was _exactly_ what he needed now. He rubbed his forehead to calm down. It wasn’t the guy’s fault; he was just making conversation and Eren needed to keep that in mind. He had no way of telling Eren was having trouble keeping his face in one piece, afterall. Eren should seriously learn not to take stuff like this personally.

He plastered a smile back on his face just in time to receive his whiskey and he congratulated himself for not starting a fight over nothing. He thanked the bartender as he picked up the small glass, ready to head back to his friends. It wouldn’t do to keep them waiting for too long, even if he did need a fucking break from all the commotion and laughter.

However, he was stopped before even managing to turn around. “Fucking hell, wipe that fake-ass smile of your face; you look like you need to take a shit.”

Eren’s smile dropped so fast he barely even knew when it happened but then he was glaring daggers at the bartender.

The man wasn’t done however. “Oh, not bad, kid,” he said, nodding to himself with a slight smirk. “You look actually fucking alive for the first time since your group came in here. You've looked like complete shit the whole time.”

“And you’ve looked like a complete asshole the whole time,” Eren hissed back, bristling a little. He hated how right the guy was. Eren _really_ didn’t need anyone else pointing this shit out to him when he could tell by himself just fucking fine.

The bartender actually snorted at Eren’s irritated reply before he leaned over the counter, studying Eren with an unreadable look in his eyes. Eyes that didn’t seem as cold now as they did when he first took Eren’s order. “I’m not denying the asshole part,” he said after a moment. “Are you denying the ‘I feel like dying and don’t want to be here so I’m gonna drown in alcohol until I don’t give a fuck about anything anymore’ part?”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, the silence hanging between them so heavy Eren felt like he would collapse under the weight. Who was this guy? How the hell could he read him better than his friends, better than _Mikasa?_ Eren wasn’t sure he wanted to know but on the other hand… he couldn’t deny he felt a relief in finding someone who just _knew_. It was like coming home. Like he was safe with this guy he barely just met, like he found what he didn’t know he was missing.

Maybe, just _maybe,_ Eren felt lonely. Wanting someone to understand him without him having to say anything and this guy… somehow did. Better, easier than any of his friends and family ever could. It confused Eren. Confused him and scared him and intrigued him and _possibly_ made him a tiny bit happy.

And that confused him even more.

When it became apparent Eren wouldn’t find it in himself to say anything back, the bartender smiled at him, just a small, barely noticeable quirk of his lips that looked so understanding it made Eren want to cry. He gulped heavily, forcing all his swirling, chaotic emotions down. He didn’t know what to think.

He didn’t know, so he just waited, not moving a muscle, not saying anything; he just clutched his whisky tightly, the big chunk of ice cooling the glass and his hand. He was acutely aware of the chilliness seeping into his flesh, just as he was of the moisture forming into water droplets that were slowly sliding down the glass to eventually make contact with his skin.

“Your friends can survive without you for a few minutes, sit your ass down here and take a fucking breather,” the bartender said then, his voice quiet and steady, jerking his head in the direction of the far end of the bar counter.

Eren couldn't help but nod, drawn to the man he couldn't even say he knew at all. Or more accurately, drawn to the strange feeling of calm and safety that settled over him at those words. He didn't feel this grounded in weeks and all it took was a few rude remarks from the man in front of him.

It was almost surreal but Eren decided not to dwell on it as he followed the bartender towards the dimly lit area that was miraculously void of customers. Or maybe it wasn't as much of a miracle as it was the lack of bartenders a single wave of the hand away.

Eren sat down on the stool next to the wall hesitantly, pleasantly surprised at how warm and… intimate the lighting made this little corner feel.

“I'm Levi, by the way,” the bartender – Levi – introduced himself, making Eren's eyes zero in on him again.

Eren blinked, taking a second to repeat the name to himself, making sure he wouldn't forget, before he replied. “Eren. Thanks for,” he paused considering what he could even say. “Thanks for letting me sit here.”

Levi's lips twitched, a smirk appearing on his face for just a moment before his face went to neutral again. “It's a public seat, anyone can sit here,” he noted, undeniable hint of amusement in his voice.

Eren scowled. Suddenly, he wanted to smack the guy. How was he so rude? How the hell did he keep his job? Still, Eren couldn't deny the smile that threatened to fight its way to his lips. “You know what I mean,” he said, rolling his eyes for good measure.

“That I do,” Levi nodded solemnly, that damn smirk back on his face. “So what's your deal, kid?” he asked, voice quiet, as he leaned his elbows on the counter to talk to Eren in some semblance of privacy.

Eren just shrugged, not really sure what to say. He didn't want to spill his pathetic little sob story to some poor bartender who was just doing his job. “Not in the mood for all the happy, I guess.”

Levi hummed, nodding a little. “I can get that. People are fucking exhausting.”

“And you work as a bartender?” Eren asked doubtfully. He couldn’t picture someone who found people exhausting working with people all day – or night, more accurately.

Levi ran a hand through his hair, eyeing Eren lazily. Eren couldn’t say he hated being looked at like that. “I like the work, love mixing cocktails and experimenting. The people are just the shit part of the job that I need to put up with.”

Eren hummed, considering the bartender’s words. It made sense. Still, Eren didn’t think he could learn to tune out all the idiocy and noise and putting up a face for 8 hours a day. Then again… Levi didn’t seem to have an issue with scowling and talking back to his customers and Eren did put up a mask all the time anyway so it didn’t seem so unrealistic after all.

“So you can make all the fancy-ass cocktails?” Eren asked with interest. He had always thought the colourful glasses of mixed drinks were pretty, almost too pretty to drink, and watching skilled bartenders create them, almost like alchemy, was mesmerizing.

A smirk spread on Levi’s face when he noticed Eren’s eyes light up a little. “Of fucking course I can. I’m a goddamn bartender,” he said, and if Eren didn't know better, he'd think there was laughter in his voice.

To say Eren was intrigued wouldn't be enough to describe the genuine excitement and _want_ he was feeling. He leaned forward, as he stared at Levi with wide eyes. “Can you show me? Make me something fancy, _please!_ ” he almost begged, the idea of being able to watch a real bartender at work from such close proximity making him almost… giddy.

However, Levi stared pointedly at the long forgotten whisky sitting on the counter. “No self respecting bartender would make you a cocktail while you've got a shot of liquor in front of you. You don't mix the two,” he said, sounding almost disgusted at the idea.

Eren pouted, sticking his bottom lip out in what was probably a very pitiful expression but he _really_ wanted to see Levi work those strong arms as he added different ingredients into shakers, then pouring them into glasses with practiced ease. It had to be damn mesmerizing.

Seeing Eren's face, Levi chuckled, reaching over the counter to ruffle Eren's hair. “Guess that means you'll have to come back, kid,” he noted casually while Eren sat there, stunned over the sudden contact.

Eren didn't allow people to touch him. Definitely not complete strangers. It disgusted him, made him feel like he wanted to crawl out of his skin and never come back to it yet Levi… Levi touched him, touched his hair, and Eren didn't feel like shouting at him, like beating him up. He felt… He wanted Levi to touch him more. He wanted to talk to him more.

Eren didn’t understand what was happening.

Just a few minutes spent with this man, just a few sentences exchanged, and Eren didn’t feel like crawling into a hole to die miserably, hidden from the world. He felt alive in that moment, for the first time in weeks – maybe even months. And he was curious.

Curious about the man, curious about his life, curious about what kind of people he would let into his life. Was he always furrowing his brows like that? How long had he been working in this bar and did he work here full time? Would Eren be able to meet him again?

Wait. Levi’s last words replayed in Eren’s head, echoing in his ears and causing his cheeks to heat up.

_Guess that means you'll have to come back, kid._

Did Levi really just ask him to come back? Just like that? It was… a warm feeling. Like he was welcome somewhere, like someone liked his company, as brief as it was. Even if Levi said it just for business, Eren couldn’t help but let his words wrap around him like a soft blanket. After all, there were many, so many other customers in the bar but Levi chose to take _Eren_ aside. Chose _Eren_ to talk to, to try and make him feel better – immeasurably better.

Just that he could pick up on the small signs of Eren’s fakeness had to mean something, right? There was some kind of connection between them, there had to be. There was no way Eren could be so comfortable with him otherwise. And he barely knew his name.

No matter the case, Eren couldn’t deny he wanted to see him again after tonight. Somehow, Eren thought he would have ended up in here within a week even without Levi’s invitation.

“Are you asking me out?” Eren blurted out without thinking and he could slap himself for it. Once again, his mouth worked faster than his head. How the hell did he even come to that conclusion. Levi said absolutely nothing of the sort, yet Eren let his wishful thinking, his lonely fucking heart, speak for his brain. Again.

Yet, Levi’s reaction was not the expression of disgust or bewilderment he had expected. Instead, Levi laughed.

Not a small chuckle like before, it was a full blown laughter, a song Eren could listen to for ages and never get tired of. “Has anyone ever told you you’re way too fucking blunt?” Levi asked when he could catch his breath.

Eren felt his cheeks heat up even more and he was sure his blush was more than obvious to the bartender by now. How embarrassing. Instead of answering, Eren picked up his drink, taking his very first sip of the amber coloured liquor; it was more to hide his face than anything, really. Dropping his eyes to attempt staring holes into the spotless countertop, he finally mumbled, “I might have heard something like that before. So what?”

Out of the corner of his yes, Eren could see Levi shake his head with a smirk while he fished in his pocket for something. Eren still refused to look up even when Levi apparently found whatever he was looking for, reaching across the counter for something next to Eren with a smirk on his face.

That’s why Eren felt like he would jump out of his skin when Levi suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled it towards him. The boy looked on with wide eyes while Levi opened a sharpie with his teeth so he could scribble over the back of Eren’s hand.

It only took a few seconds before he was released again but to Eren, it felt like eternity. Levi’s thin, strong fingers gripping his hand tightly to keep it from moving, the warmth of them seeping into Eren’s skin while the black ink of the sharpie felt cool and rough where Levi was writing. Even after Levi let him go, Eren sat there frozen, his hand hanging in the air as if Levi was still keeping it there by invisible threads.

Seeing as Eren wasn’t about to move any, Levi nodded towards the back of the bar. “I think your friends are looking for you.”

Eren blinked a few times staring at Levi blankly for a few seconds before the words processed. Friends. Right. He was there with friends. Party. .... _Fuck._

Tentatively, he looked around to see Mikasa, Armin, and an unhappy looking Jean weaving their way through the tables and mingling people, looking every which way and obviously looking for someone, and he couldn’t help but groan. He didn’t want to leave this quiet corner. He wanted to keep chatting with Levi. But then again. it _was_ two of his friends’ engagement party and he really _should_ go back to them.

Shooting an apologetic look Levi’s way while opening his mouth to excuse himself, he saw Levi shake his head and point with his thumb somewhere towards the centre of the counter where the biggest crowd of people was waiting for their drinks.

He gave Eren a crooked smile before speaking up first, “I need to get back to work anyway; my boss looks like he’s gonna shit his pants if I slack off any longer.”

“Oh,” Eren replied lamely, only now realizing he was keeping Levi away while on the clock. How… inconsiderate of him and how nice of Levi. He couldn’t stop the small smile from pulling in his lips. “It was great talking to you, Levi. Make sure you prepare your best cocktail for me next time,” he said, his smile widening at the sly smirk Levi shot him over his shoulder.

“You won’t know what hit you,” Levi said in a low voice that sent a shiver down Eren’s spine. “See you around, _Eren_.” And he was gone, off to attend to the bar’s many other customers.

It wasn’t until minutes later when Eren was sitting back with his group, slowly sipping at his whisky – by now well diluted by melted ice – that he finally remembered to look at what Levi had scribbled on his hand.

Glancing down, Eren nearly choked. He quickly turned around, looking back towards the counter with wide eyes, searching the many people there to find that short asshole. As if sensing his searching gaze, Levi looked up a second later, bringing Eren’s attention to him. The bartender was just handing over a martini glass to someone when their eyes met, Levi’s lips quirking up in small smirk. Eren could just imagine the amused huff and quiet mutter of “Took you long enough.” Asshole.

Eren narrowed his eyes at the other man’s obvious amusement, turning around decisively so he didn’t have to see that stupid smug face anymore. And to hide the wide, genuine smile that tugged on his lips.

Looking down at the innocent looking series of numbers on his hand, he could only feel warm. Warm and happy and so fucking _wanted_ for the first time in ages. Like he wasn’t such a lost cause after all. Someone saw through his facade, talked to him, saw his real self, made him feel better than anyone could in such a short time, and _still_ wanted to see more of him. Eren couldn’t really wrap his head around it but he decided not to dwell on it.

Maybe, just maybe, he could simply take things as they were without analyzing them for once. Maybe he was allowed to feel giddy. Allowed to let go and stop dwelling on things.

Suddenly, Eren realized he wasn’t so tired anymore, nor did he feel like hiding in the bathroom and hoping to just survive. It was celebration time and now, because of a few minutes of time spent in the company of the right person, he actually felt like celebrating. The girls deserved it and so did he.

Maybe. Just this once.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Still not proofread.~~
> 
>  
> 
> Just a short, fluffy little extra for the soul :)

“Is this a cuba libre,” Eren asked when the tall glass was presented to him, incredulous that his fancy drink of the night would be fucking _rum and coke_.

“Yes,” Levi replied simply, staring Eren down as if daring him to complain.

Eren blinked, looking at Levi blankly, then back at his drink. This was their first “date” after weeks of texting and talking over the phone, the first time Eren came back to the bar Levi worked at since the engagement party, and Levi chose rum & coke to impress him with his mad bartender skills. Eren silently wondered if it was even true that Levi was doing this full time. Or that he was very interested in him, after all.

Eren didn’t want to think that way but he couldn’t help it. Despite how Levi seemed, how straightforward, rude, and vulgar he was… Eren came to really like the guy. Because Levi cared. They barely knew each other but Levi seemed to pick up on Eren’s mood easily and always made it a point to try and make him feel better. He was funny, even though it took Eren a little while to realize Levi didn’t mean a lot of what he said seriously – and to get used to that toilet humour of his. Eren also appreciated that Levi didn’t play at anything. He was honest and expected honesty in turn. Which meant _Eren_ didn’t have to pretend.

He had thought Levi felt the same way as he did, he did ask him out after all, although… now that Eren thought about it, the text didn’t exactly sound like Levi. He had accounted the strange tone to the man maybe being a little nervous at first but could it be it was a prank someone played on them both? But why did Levi go along with it then? Or did he think it was funny too?

Quickly shaking his head to clear it, Eren scolded himself for jumping to conclusions. It wasn’t like he had any signs from Levi that he wasn’t taking this date seriously. And the fact the drink he prepared for him was simple really didn’t mean anything, did it?

Finally deciding that it couldn’t hurt to at least try the damn cocktail, Eren reached out to pick up the glass and took a sip.

As soon as the dark liquid touched his tongue, Eren froze. This wasn’t just rum, coke, and lime juice. No. This was more. So much more.

“This is amazing,” he sighed after a few more sips. It was seriously something else. He never would have thought something as simple as this could reach another level but damn was he wrong. The ingredients were balanced perfectly, complementing each other instead of one standing out and overpowering the others. It was so damn good. So simple yet so complex and Eren was in awe.

He watched as Levi’s expression relaxed, the shoulders Eren didn't notice were tense dropping a little bit. Could it be… Could Levi have been nervous?

It was kinda cute, Eren thought. The man tried to come off as this big, bad, mean asshole but even over the short time they had been talking, Eren had come to realize he was actually none of those things.

Well, maybe he _was_ an asshole. But a soft, kind one and Eren felt incredibly lucky and giddy as he slowly learned to see past the evil scowl and sarcastic remarks, down to the mushy, adorable parts that were hidden under.

So Eren thought he should assure the man further. With a small, open, and honest smile directed at his new boyfriend, Eren added, “It's the best drink I've ever had.”

“It better be, he’s been mixing nothing but this for four days.”

Both Eren and Levi jumped at the voice, the fake whisper too loud to even be considered sneaky.

Eren blinked a few times, looking at the woman with a messy ponytail and thick glasses who was wearing the same clothes Levi. She was grinning from ear to ear like a little kid at Christmas as she stood a little behind Levi and ogglling Eren shamelessly with an undeniable spark in her eyes.

Her words took a few seconds for Eren to process but as soon as they did, he couldn’t stop the blush from spreading over his face. Has Levi really been practicing the drink for so long? Could he... Could he think it was because of him?

“Awww, Levi look! He’s blushing!” the woman squealed. “He’s so cute, I can see why you’re so enamored.”

“Will you shut the fuck up, Hanji?” Levi hissed lowly while Eren’s blush only deepened.

Was she being for real or was she just teasing?

Eren’s eyes slid to Levi. He was avoiding his gaze, instead glaring at a smudge on the counter and Eren couldn’t help but let happiness envelop him. If that wasn’t embarrassment, he didn’t know what was - which meant this was for real. Levi did practice this, _for him_.

But the woman, Hanji, wasn’t done. “See?” she addressed Levi, jabbing his side with her elbow suggestively. “Aren’t you glad I asked him out for you since you were being a chicken about it?”

The speed with which Levi spinned around to hit his coworker – and close friend, Eren could only assume – was incredible but so was the speed with which Hanji doged. She was obviously expecting Levi to retaliate and was one step ahead of him. Eren watched as she danced away to the other end of the bar counter, swiftly putting enough distance and people between her and Levi that the man couldn’t do anything, cackling all the while.

Levi grumbled to himself, a string of curses from which Eren could only make out “talking too fucking much” and “shitty foureyes”.

And Eren… Eren couldn’t help it.

He laughed. It was just a small chuckle at first but it soon turned into full blown laughter. Somehow, this entire situation was ridiculous. Levi was too nervous to ask him out and Eren spent a week trying to gather the courage to ask the other man out himself. Levi spent days trying to perfect the simplest fucking cocktail to impress him and Eren hounded all his friends to help him pick out the best outfit.

Eren really needed to find Hanji and thank her later.

“Stop laughing,” Levi barked at him after a moment when he still didn’t go quiet.

Eren gulped down the next wave of giggles, looking up at Levi apologetically. “Sorry. It’s just. We’re both a little stupid, aren’t we?”

Levi looked at him like he was an idiot but soon, as Eren relentlessly continued to smile at him, his lips quirked up as well. “I guess we are,” he said quietly, and Eren hasn’t felt this calm and content in ages.

Yeah, they were both a little stupid but maybe that was just how it was supposed to be.

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe a Levi in his life will help Eren deal with shit better. Doesn't mean everythig's fixed.
> 
> There will be a short extra chapter that will be a little happier than this so stay tuned.


End file.
